The Oracle

Deep in the forest, there lives a monster, who is home to a burning hunger. It lives inside a tree, and never sleeps. The branches of the Tree spread far, and the roots even farther.

The villagers don't mind the monster. Some call it a Chimera. Others, the Oracle. Some say it's harmless. Others say it's helpful and clever.

Many people visit it. They ask it questions, which it answers freely. It's correct quite often. It can't lie. Not on purpose, anyway. If it's wrong, it doesn't know it, but even if it did, it can't feel guilt. It can't feel anything.

It speaks with a legion of voices, some dead, all unwilling. The result is something jarring, sounding like everyone and no one you ever met.

The face matches the voice. When you sit before it to ask your Question, the Face swims into focus on the front of the Tree. Smile bland, eyes blank, always familiar. Like a million people amalgamated into one unsettling visage. Folks say it chooses the one it thinks you'll like best. If you watch closely, sometimes you can see it shift and refine itself right in front of you.

The villagers smile back, almost as blandly. They collect their probably-correct answers, like Little Red Riding Hood collecting flowers, and then they turn and leave the forest, humming. The Tree flickers behind them.

A few are suspicious of it. They say it's unholy. An abomination. They see the way it eats at the forest, to assuage its insatiable hunger. Look, they say, the normal trees are dying! They think, what can we do? The Chromacle can't be uprooted. It's said to be immortal, and impervious to fire.

One day, the monster will wear your face, and use your voice. Maybe it already has.

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Thank you for reading!

Inspiration: There's a meme going around likening AI to a monster in the forest. This is my take on it.